John Wall was considered to be one of the best point guards in the NBA in the mid-2010s, as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 Draft made an instant impact in the league and led the Washington Wizards into becoming a perennial Playoff team. Unfortunately, a series of knee injuries from 2018 to 2020 made sure Wall’s career was cut short, as he hasn’t played in the NBA since January 2023.
The 34-year-old guard was on the broadcast booth for the NBA G League Showcase over the weekend where he made it clear that he would love one final opportunity to play in the NBA.
“It would mean the world. You want to go out on your own terms. I want to finish it the way I want. If I play my last game, I want to walk off the court my way.”
Despite everything Wall’s gone through, he has no regrets about how his career turned out.
“You do all you can to take care of yourself, and injuries are still part of the game of basketball. Yeah, I think about that. The time I had, I enjoyed. I get frustrated at times. But God don’t make no mistakes.”
Wall averaged 18.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 8.9 assists over 11 seasons in the NBA, shining as an All-Star until various knee injuries over many seasons took their toll and a ruptured Achilles marked the end. After a two-year stint of rehabilitation, Wall returned to the court for a new franchise, the Houston Rockets, who started tanking 12 games into the 2020-21 season after trading James Harden.
This led to a bad ending to Wall’s Rockets’ stint, as he was forcefully benched to help them tank. He didn’t play the next season while being healthy on the final year of a max contract as the Rockets continued to prioritize the development of guards like Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green at the time.
Wall would sign with the Los Angeles Clippers as a free agent in 2022, but would be waived by the franchise after 34 games, inadvertently playing his final NBA game in January 2023 as he hasn’t been signed by a team after that.
With two years on the sidelines now, it’s unlikely that Wall will suddenly get a call to lace his shoes up for a contending franchise or be allowed to take minutes away from younger guards on tanking teams.
The only way Wall re-enters the NBA is if a second-apron team needs a backup guard in an emergency at this point. Some are suggesting a stint with the Wizards to end his career given what he meant to the franchise, but the new front office likely won’t have enough love for Wall to prioritize giving him minutes over Carlton Carrington, with Malcolm Brogdon the veteran leader on the squad.
It’d be a shame to see Wall’s NBA career end as quietly as it has, but his lack of athleticism at his age and spotty shooting means it would be impossible for most teams to accommodate him into their setup, whether it’s for winning purposes or not.
In all honesty, the Wizards should offer him a 10-day contract at some point to let him have a final game in front of the fans who love him the most, but it’s unlikely even that will happen.
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